Wednesday, February 6, 2008

This is a very simple veggie recipe (once you tackle the rutabaga which can be tricky to peel). Even the kids might eat these if you don't tell them what they are!

Ruth's Rutabaga Fries

Cut the peeled rutabaga(s) into french fry strips (approx thumb size). Roll the fries in olive oil(or spray them) Salt and pepper them and then roast them in a 400°F oven for about 30min. (Turn the fries once or twice during cooking).

I'm going to add my recipe that I made today. It is a great Gluten Free chocolate cake and it is from "The Best Ever Wheat And Gluten Free Baking Book".

GF=gluten free. Some products get contaminated in their refining process if the factory makes wheat/gluten grain foods too, so that is why one must be so careful.

Chocolate Dump It Cake

1/2 c. pure GF cocoa powder. If you have Trader Joe's their cocoa is GF 1/2 c. boiling water - mix the water and cocoa together 1 c. cornstarch however, to get more fiber I mixed 1/2 c. cornstarch with 1/2 c. brown rice fiber 1 1/2c potato starch (but again, you can mix flours. I used 1/2 c. brown rice flour and 1c. potato starch and the texture was wonderful!) 1T plus 1 1/2t. baking powder pinch of salt 1 c. sugar

Mix all this together with the cocoa/water mixture

2 eggs beaten or GF egg replacer (this is excellent to have on hand the egg replacer gives great rise and texture) 1/2 c. canola oil 2 t. vanilla and it needs to be GF (again, Trader Joe's is GF) 21/2 t. xanthanan gum however, if you've mixed your flours and/or used egg replacer you can reduce this to a teaspoon. 1 cup plus more as needed. Dairy free and gluten free milk is Blue Diamond almond milk.

Mix all the wet together, and only add 1 cup of the milk. If your mix is too thick, just add a little more milk. You only have to mix by hand, this is so light and fluffy!

I used two small aluminum $$ store pans with plastic lids which worked well. Preheat to 350 and use 9x13 or two small snack cake pans. I bet two loaf pans would work well too. Grease well with canola oil. Do not use any kind of baking spray, none are gluten free - I have a little silicone brush and the oil which works well. Pour in mix as soon as you mix it up. Don't let it sit as it rises so fast - pour it in and let it sit a minute while oven heats. Bake 22-25 mins. Smaller pans you can bake 20 mins. Toothpick test to see if done.

YUMMY and delicate in texture. Keep in the fridge. You can make a dairy free/gluten free icing by using icing sugar, the cocoa, or vanilla or a bit of strong coffee (no flavorings!) and Natural Balance margerine.

Melt chocolate. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in chocolate, then stir in nut flour and cinnamon. Fold in the nuts. Bake in a greased 9 inch square pan at 325 degrees for about 45-50 minutes. Use the toothpick test to make sure your brownies are done. Cool slightly, and cut into bars.

*Cocoa can be substituted for chocolate. It would be 6 tablespoons of cocoa, plus 2 extra tablespoons butter

Bara brith is a bread with currants. I think it came first, and then Welsh cakes were invented because Bara brith does not keep or transport well as it is flakey and has an odd texture unlike most breads (just like Welsh Cakes are not cake, not cookie and not cake but sort of all of them at the same time, lol). Welsh Cakes could easily be transported and kept without refrigeration in a mine, or on in the mountains while herding sheep.

My family is from South Wales and we always make it without yeast and it is HEAVY. We always used currants, and although all the recipes on the web say to make it spicy, we never had a spice in it! It was very white - my family were poor and there was no way we could use a spice daily like that.

Since I'm a born and raised Nanaimo gal I'm attaching a link to the official Nanaimo Bar recipe. There are a lot of recipes for Nanaimo Bars but this is the one I use. It is sooo good. There is also a little history as to how it came to be the official Nanaimo Bar recipe for the city.

Combine all of marinade ingred. and heat til sugar melted. Cool to room temp. Cut pork into strips 2" wide x 1 1/2"thick x 4 " long. Place in a large plastic bag with marinade and massage bag to coat meat and place in refrigerator at least overnight or up to 3 days. Bring to room temp. after draining off marinade. Discard marinade.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place a rack over a roasting pan and put 1/2 " boiling water in roasting pan. Place meat strips on rack and roast 15 min., turn meat and roast 15 min. Make glaze and and brush meat strips and finish roasting about 1 -2 min. til edges charred. Remove from oven and let rest 15 min. before slicing. May be served as is or use 1# for pork buns.

Combine yeast and water and 1 Tbsp sugar leave til foamy. Add warm ( not hot) milk and rest of sugar ,oil,salt and egg. Mix well. In bowl or food processor combine 3 3/4 c flour and add liquid while running ( may make as usual by hand for reg. bread dough). Process til smooth , may need to add 1/4 c more flour to make nonsticky dough. Remove from processor and knead lightly for 3 -5 minutes more. This is a fantastic dough and easily made.

Leave in an oiled bowl covered with plastic for 2 hrs til double or overnight in fridge. Remove from bowl and flatten and sprinkle with 2 tsp sifted baking powder. Knead in bp for about 3 minutes till completely mixed in. ( this was quite easy after initial panic). Form into 16 2 oz balls and cover while rolling each ball to a 5 in circle. Place about 1 heaping Tbsp filling in center and pinch up edges and then smooth to a ball. Place on parchment paper and let rise 30 min. Brush with glaze: 1 egg beaten with 1/2 tsp sugar and 1 Tbsp water. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 min. til brown.

This dessert has six layers. It should be made in a deep glass bowl so that the layers are visible.

-half of a stale pound cake (same premise as when making bread pudding) -raspberry preserves -one recipe of vanilla pudding, or one package of vanilla pudding (reduce milk by 1/4 cup if using package pudding) -thick cream for whipping, 1 pint -1/2 cup of powdered sugar -about one cup of sherry, or rum -package of sliced almonds--toast them lightly

Slice pound cake in 1/4" slices. Cut each slice in half. Spread half with raspberry preserves, put other half on top--like sandwiches. Layer half of your cake sandwiches in the bottom of a glass bowl. Drench with about half a cup of sherry or rum--enough to moisten well. Pour on half of your pudding.

Whip cream with powdered sugar until stiff. This will be your third layer.

Place half of the whipped cream on top of the layers you are building. Put down another layer of cake sandwiches, drench with half cup of rum or sherry, layer on the remainder of your pudding, and carefully spread on the remaining whipped cream. Refrigerate for several hours so flavors can blend. Top with toasted sliced almonds when ready to serve.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Split the zucchini in half. With a spoon scrape out the seeds, digging a trough in the center of the zucchini. Blanch the zucchini in salted water until just soft, but the color still remains (about 6 to 8 minutes).

Refresh in cold water. Pat dry with a towel.

For the filling: Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan. Sauté the onions until translucent. Add the garlic. Remove from heat. Add tomato, breadcrumbs, lemon zest, fresh herbs and grated cheese. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Place the filling down the center of the zucchini. Place the zucchini on a nonstick baking tray and roast in the oven until the topping is lightly brown (about 12 - 15 minutes).

Serve as a nice side dish with grilled meats or fish, or as an appetizer with a green salad.

Make these herbal ice cubes in the summertime, when the bounty is plentiful and fresh!!! So convenient and easy-- just pop a frozen cube (or two) into your favorite soup or sauce or whatever, and voila! May use olive oil in place of the water.

1. Mince herb (s) of choice. 2. Pack minced herb (s) into an ice cube tray, each 3/4 full. 3. Fill with boiling water, (this will blanch the herbs before freezing and will help them retain their flavor and color). 4. Once the herbal ice cubes are frozen, you can pop them out of their tray and into freezer bags for storage. 5. Use as needed.

Friday, February 1, 2008

This is something I throw together for DH and myself so I'll give you the amounts I use for two.

Fresh Green Beans for two I large Shallot minced 4 fresh Mushrooms, sliced 1 Tbsp. of Olive Oil 1/2 cup of water

In a large skillet saute minced shallot until soft, add sliced mushroom saute for a few minutes more, add beans and water. Put a lid on cook until Beans are done to your liking. Take the lid off continue cooking until the water has disappeared.

Combine lukewarm water, oat bran cereal, honey, melted margarine. Here is where I bring water to a boil to soak my 7-grain and cracked wheat. Let stand until cool.

Add 2 cups 50/50 flour and mix well (you may use mixer). To this mixture add the egg and softened yeast, mix well. Add remaining flours to make a soft dough. Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead 10 minutes or use dough hook on mixer for 4 minutes.

Put in greased bowl turning once to coat top. cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise in a warm draft-free lace until doubled about l hour.

Knead down. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Diving into three equal portions and let rest for 10 minutes. Shape into loaves and place in greased loaf pans, let raise for about 1 hour until dough reaches tops of pans.

Preheat over during this time to 375°. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Remove bread from pans immediately and let cool on wire racks.